The UNSC Hilbert, under the command of a young Naval officer Miranda Keyes, was engaged by a Covenantdestroyer. Three UNSC corvettes answered the Hilbert's resulting distress call and attempted to offer aid; the destroyer responded by turning its back on the Hilbert and attacking the incoming reinforcements instead. Having no weapons capable of breaching the destroyer's energy shield, Miranda ordered that the Hilbert overload her engines and ram into the enemy vessel. The resulting collision damaged the destroyer's shields and nudged it into Gamma Pavonis-VII's gravity well. As the crew abandoned ship, which was now falling into the planet's gravity well along with the enemy ship, the fusion core of the Hilbert went critical and detonated immediately after colliding with the planet's surface, completely obliterating the Covenant destroyer and saving the crewmembers aboard the three corvettes from certain demise. Only two of the crewmembers of the Hilbert made it to the escape pods in time—Miranda included. For her actions, Miranda was awarded the Silver Star (presented personally to her by Lord Terrence Hood), promoted to Lieutenant Commander, and given command of the frigateUNSC In Amber Clad.